Cowboy Outcasts

by Stacey Espino

  Life wasn’t simple. Callum’s answer was to isolate himself on the ranch. Arden had tried to spread his wings, but failed. It wasn’t easy to stay focused without a goal. He was drifting through life, living for instant gratification. But his capricious lifestyle was catching up with him.

  “What is it?” asked Hailey.

  “My bike.” He whipped off the tarp, frozen in place once he saw the beast.

  Her footsteps sounded on the hay-littered concrete as she came closer. “Nice,” she said.

  “You ever ride one?” He was still spell-bound by the meager light reflecting off the chrome surfaces.

  “No way.”

  The hesitation in her voice piqued his interest. He was squatting down to check that everything appeared functional but stopped and turned to look at her. “You want to take on the wild hogs but you’re scared of a little bike?”

  He rolled it out of the barn and into the sunlight of the main yard. It was his baby, the only thing of value he owned next to his horse and truck. He threw his leg over the seat and tested the suspension. It felt good, reminding him of old times.

  “Does it work?” she asked.

  “Of course it works.” The key dangled from the ignition where he’d left it. Callum never had Arden’s interest of motorcycles, preferring a horse or his pickup truck. He turned the key and revved the engine. It fired to life, a beautiful, healthy sound. “Get on,” he said.

  “What? I’m not getting on there.”

  Hailey was too inhibited. She was a good girl, and he rarely tangled with them. They were too much effort and not nearly as exciting in the bedroom. “Don’t be a baby. Just climb on and hang on tight. I’m just going for a quick run.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Come on. It’ll be fun. Promise.”

  She bit her full lower lip, gathering her hair into a makeshift bun. “Is it safe?”

  “Trust me.”

  Hailey cautiously approached. She rested a hand on his bicep while lifting her leg over the seat behind him. Her body was slight but pressed tight to his back.

  “Hold on tight.” As soon as he hit the gas, her arms snaked around his waist, holding on for her life. It felt good to have a woman’s hands on him again. The vibration of the engine travelled through his body, bringing him to life. He couldn’t help but smile as he raced down the familiar dirt roads. As a teen he had his dirt bike. It was the same thrill now, one he savored. When he heard Hailey squeal, a jovial sound, he was glad he’d pushed her to come along.

  Being on the road was an adventure, always something exciting happening to keep his mind off reality. He was terrified to return home and fall back into the same bleak routine. But now that he witnessed the endless golden fields, and the rich evergreen treeline in the distance, he knew he’d made the right choice to come home.

  Hailey’s hands gripped his shirt, kneading the muscles in his chest. Arden twisted his wrist, sending the bike speeding along the barren stretch of road. When he finally realized they were only coasting, the roar of the engine extinguished, they were miles from home.

  Chapter Eight

  “What’s wrong?” she asked. Arden steered the bike to the side of the road. The steady drone of crickets filled her ears once the engine quieted.

  “I was too damn hasty.” He got off the bike and knocked the kick stand down with his boot. “Come on.” He helped her off the bike, the sound of gravel crunching under her shoes when she hit the ground.

  “Did you run out of gas?”

  “Could be. Like I said, I wasn’t thinking.” His jaw clenched down hard, and he kicked at the weeds growing along the side of the road. “Fuck.”

  She felt awkward, unable to help because she knew nothing about mechanics. After a few minutes Arden returned his attention to the motorcycle, trying to get it running. His waves of dark hair fell over into his eyes, his shirt pulling tight over his shoulders. Hailey couldn’t help her physical attraction to the cowboy—or perhaps it was just his similarity to Callum that piqued her interest.

  “Do you know if there’re any farm houses in the area?”

  He exhaled an irritated breath. “Darlin’, ain’t nothing ‘round here but prairie. The closest ranch is back at my place.”

  “You don’t have to yell,” she said. “I’m just trying to help.”

  “Like you’re trying to help Callum, by getting yourself a grant? Maybe my brother is love-blind, but I’m lucid enough to know nothing in life is free.”

  “Wow, you’re something else.” She began to walk away, in the direction of the O’Shea Ranch.

  “Fuck. I’m sorry. Stop.”

  She ignored him, walking a fast clip. There was nothing wrong with some good, old-fashioned exercise. She just hoped the heat wouldn’t kill her.

  “Hailey!” She heard his heavy footfalls catching up with her.

  “Leave me alone. Why don’t you find some comfort in the bottom of your flask?”

  His hand wrapped around her upper arm. Arden easily stopped her, spinning her around to face him. “Sometimes I speak before I think. It’s a flaw of mine.”

  “Callum has an excuse for his behavior. You? You have a choice in how you act.”

  Unlike Callum’s dark eyes, Arden’s were as blue as the clear sky above them. He forced her to pay attention to him, and she had little choice in her current predicament.

  “You’re right. I was wrong. But before you judge me, try walking a mile in my shoes. You’ve seen and heard Callum’s symptoms. Imagine them tenfold. He’s improved over the years, teaching himself how to mask the tics. Back when we were younger I was fighting nearly every damn day of my life.” He tilted up her chin when she tried to look away. “You see, Callum’s not a fighter. When he’s upset, he internalizes the pain. Me, I lash out.”

  “That’s understandable. You love your brother, so you look out for him. I can respect that.”

  “Don’t you see, darlin’. There ain’t nothing wrong with me. But I couldn’t in good conscience socialize with people who teased by kid brother. A man has to have some honor.”

  “You can’t use your sacrifice as an excuse forever.”

  He narrowed his eyes. She knew he was looking for sympathy, but she wouldn’t enable his cycle of negative behavior.

  “Are all scientists cold-hearted?”

  Before she could respond, the sound of an approaching vehicle captured their attention.

  A black pickup truck with raised suspension pulled up alongside them. There were three rough and rowdy cowboys inside, a low twang of country music coming from the radio. The driver leaned out the window, a sly smile on his face. “Well, hello there, beautiful. Looks like you may need a ride.”

  “Our bike broke down,” she said. “Could you give us a ride to the O’Shea Ranch?”

  “Hailey, don’t,” whispered Arden. She didn’t see what the problem was. If they could get back to the ranch, Arden could get his truck and horse trailer and come back for his motorcycle.

  “Listen to your friend, sweetheart. There’s only room for one in our truck. I’m sure Arden can manage on his own.”

  Shit. They knew each other. These were probably some of the bullies Arden and Callum had to deal with.

  “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll walk with Arden.”

  “What a man. Leads his woman into the boondocks and then forces her to walk. Classy, Arden, as always.” The other men laughed inside, the hysterical sound destroying the peaceful serenity of the landscape.

  “Maybe you should go,” whispered Arden. “If you want to save your feet, it’s your best option.”

  “Listen to the man,” said the driver.

  She kept walking, shaking her head. “Thanks anyway. But I enjoy walking.”

  They wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Stop playing hard to get. Makes no sense walking when we’re offering to drive you.”

  She was beginning to feel uncomfortable, so she ignored them, looking straight ahead. If Callum were there, h
e’d stick up for her, make her feel safe.

  When they wouldn’t drive off, Arden put himself between her and the truck.

  “You’ve heard her, now fuck off.” He even stepped up onto the running board with one foot, getting in the face of the driver. “I know where you live, Bradshaw.”

  The humor fled from the man’s face and he hit the gas after Arden stepped down.

  He’d surprised her. “Thank you,” she said, taking a deep breath once she could only see a billow of dust down the long, narrow dirt road.

  Arden stopped her again. “Why’d you do that?”

  “Do what?” she asked.

  “You could have gotten a ride, but you refused.”

  “I wasn’t about to leave you all alone.”

  “But I was being an asshole.”

  “You were just being human. There’s nothing wrong with that.” She smiled at him, hoping to make amends if possible. Hailey still had to live with Arden and Callum if she was to finish her research. Being on hostile terms would be unpleasant at best.

  “You’re something different.” He stroked her hair, an intimate touch she wasn’t expecting. “Pretty, too.”

  “We should start walking,” she said.

  “Are you frightened of me?”

  Could he feel her body tremble with trepidation and anticipation at once? She desperately wanted the bad boy to want her, to desire her. But she also knew exactly what kind of man he was. He’d use her for all she was worth and discard her faster than she could redress. After finding a potential relationship with Callum O’Shea, she wouldn’t jeopardize that for the cowboy drifter. At least Callum showed signs of stability, work ethic, and devotion. She was well aware they were both virtual strangers, but her initial assessment warned her to stay away from Arden.

  “A little,” she said honestly. Hailey was scared of what he represented, and of her intense attraction to him.

  “I’ve never hurt a woman, and never will. My daddy may have been a volatile man, but he loved our mother something fierce.” He slipped his hand around her waist, bringing her a hair’s length from his body. “Tell me, lady scientist, does that mean I’m capable of love, too?”

  “E–Everyone is capable of love.” She could feel the heat of his body and the roughness of his hand against the small band of exposed flesh at her back. Her body reacted, tempting her to give in to his ministrations. But she wouldn’t.

  “What about you, Ms. Watson. Can you love a sinner?”

  Her breath caught. It would be so easy to close her eyes and let him whisk her away to a place only the two of them existed. She imagined he’d be a skilled and attentive lover, even if untamed. Hailey knew the pleasures of the flesh firsthand thanks to Callum, and that knowledge only made Arden more tempting.

  “Don’t you love your brother?”

  He cocked his head. “Of course. Why you asking?”

  “You said he’s falling in love with me. If that’s true, I wonder how he’ll feel knowing you’re ready to take what he considers his.”

  He groaned, taking a deep breath before pulling away. Arden massaged behind his neck with both hands while staring at her. “You know what? I was going to fuck you right here, out in the open. That was my whole plan when coming out here. I was going to prove to myself you were no good for my little brother.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s special! I won’t have some money-hungry whore breaking his heart, pretending to love him back while mocking him in her head.”

  She stopped breathing, her chest tight. He was crude, not holding his tongue for anyone. Was that what Arden thought of her?

  “But then you came along and proved me wrong. I didn’t think a woman could ever love Callum the way he deserved.” He returned to her, trailing his thumb over her lower lip. “You’ve just complicated my life, baby girl.”

  They started walking. She hadn’t said a word, still trying to decipher everything he’d said. She felt like a leaf being tossed back and forth between the waves and the shore, unable to settle on either. Hailey’s heart felt bound to Callum but she had new, intense feelings for his own brother. Maybe she would have been better off living in a cardboard box than showing up at the O’Shea Ranch. They weren’t just town outcasts. They managed to work some sort of spell on her, making her incapable of walking away. Visions of Leprechauns danced in her head.

  “It’s getting hot,” he said after they’d walked for what felt like miles. “Too hot.”

  She nodded, trudging on.

  Arden decided to yank off his shirt. He tucked the edge through a loop in his belt and carried on. Unbeknownst to him, his bare upper body was making her ravenous. He had Celtic bands around each developed bicep and a Celtic cross on his right pec. His tattoos only added to his rugged appeal. The more she knew she should stay away, the more she wanted him.

  “Want me to carry you?” he asked after a while.

  “We’re both tired. I’m not going to make you carry me.”

  “Just for a bit so you can let your feet rest. Besides, there’s nothing to you.” He stopped, squatting on the ground.

  “Arden, no.”

  “Come on, now.”

  She mounted his back and he hoisted her up, an arm supporting each thigh. Hailey felt like a child, clinging to his shoulders in fear of falling. He was tall, so the drop wouldn’t be pleasant. His skin was warm with a light sheen of sweat. She wanted to splay her fingers and explore his body, but kept her fantasies locked in her mind.

  “So, what happens after you get this grant of yours?” he asked, his words labored.

  She hadn’t really thought about it. Hailey had been so busy trying to survive day to day, running from the past, that the future rarely plagued her thoughts. A grant only meant she could pay her rent and put food on the table. It didn’t equate a home, love, or a job that challenged her. Breaking into the human behavioral branch without a decade of experience was nearly impossible. Studying horses and hogs was as good as she could get in the meantime, but the pay was lackluster.

  “I need grants because getting a job as a professor or funding for anything meaningful won’t happen for a long, long time.”

  “Me and Callum only finished high school. We would have dropped out but our mother insisted on having our diplomas hanging on the wall. With my brother’s Tourette’s and the heavy work load of the farm, it’s a miracle we made it through, but we did.”

  “What about you? Are you staying home for good or leaving again?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I rarely think beyond tomorrow.”

  After another fifteen minutes of being carried along the side of the road, Arden began to stagger. He ended up bending over and spilling her onto the soft, grassy meadow. He dropped to his back, laying a forearm across his eyes. They were both laughing out loud, both exhausted and overheated. Their predicament was so horrible, the only thing left was to find humor in it.

  “Sorry, baby girl. I can’t carry you another minute. That mid-day sun is brutal.”

  “I know. My clothes are soaked through.”

  “It feels good doing nothing and not feeling anxious about it. I think you’re my new good luck charm.”

  “Your new drug of choice?” she teased. Even with the heat he didn’t reach for the flask he’d kept in his back pocket.

  As they rested there on the grass, studying the odd white cloud that drifted by, she felt a soul-deep connection with Arden. There was a quiet acceptance between them. Any man could put on a good show but they were all human beneath the tough exterior. She was curious about Arden and eager to meet his approval.

  The rumble of a vehicle stole their attention. Arden leaned up on his elbows while Hailey sat up straight. She hoped it wasn’t the same truckload of jerks. As the pickup truck neared, it slowed down, finally pulling to the side of the road.

  “Well, look who’s going to save the day,” he said.

  It was Callum. He came around the front of his truck and shook his
head as he neared. “You okay, Hailey?”

  “I’m fine. Just tired from walking.”

  “Didn’t you keep gas in my Harley?” asked Arden.

  “What on Earth for? It’s not mine, and I never expected you back.”

  “Well, it’s broken down a few miles back.”

  Callum bent over and scooped her up off the ground like she weighed ten pounds. He cradled her in his capable arms and kissed her forehead. “Next time, don’t bother with Arden. You’re lucky you didn’t pass out from the heat.”

  He carried her back to the truck, but she couldn’t help but peer over his shoulder for Arden. He’d hoisted himself off the ground, following behind at a slower clip.

  The last door slammed shut and the three of them drove back to the ranch. It was eerily quiet at first, until Arden spoke up. “You can’t stay mad at me forever, Callum. I never should have run off like I did, but I wasn’t thinking straight at the time.”

  “You’re supposed to be older and wiser, but I was the one left with all the responsibilities.”

  “Well, I’m back. We’re family and that means everything to me. I’ll make it up to you,” he assured.

  She noted Callum’s tenseness easing somewhat. Hailey hoped they’d make amends. It wasn’t right for two brothers to be at each other’s throats when she knew they loved each other. It only cemented the fact that she could never come between them.

  Chapter Nine

  When they arrived back at the ranch, Callum helped Hailey out of the truck and into his arms. She looked exhausted, her face flush and hairline moist. The poor thing needed to cool off in a hurry. He couldn’t believe Arden would be so careless, taking a woman out into nowhere on a bike he hadn’t ridden in a year. It was foolhardy—especially when Callum considered Hailey his responsibility.

  “Where you taking me?” she asked. He loved holding her close, caring for her. It was something new to him as he’d only ever had to worry about himself. Now he enjoyed the new responsibility. She gave him purpose and hope.